How craving attention makes you less creative | Joseph Gordon-Levitt

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 易帆 余

First of all, thank you for your attention.

首先，謝謝大家的關注。

There's nothing quite like being in a room full of people like this,

在一間大廳中，滿是這樣的觀眾，

大家都把注意力給我， 是種很獨特的體驗。

where all of you are giving your attention to me.

It's a powerful feeling, to get attention.

獲得關注是一種很強大的感受。

I'm an actor, so I'm a bit of an expert on, well, nothing, really.

我是演員，所以我對什麼 都懂得不深，嗯，真的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But I do know what it feels like to get attention --

但我確實知道被關注是什麼感覺——

I've been lucky in my life

我這一生都很幸運， 一直能得到大家的關注。

to get a lot more than my fair share of attention.

And I'm grateful for that,

我對此很感恩，

because like I said, it's a powerful feeling.

就像我剛說的， 這是種很強大的感覺。

But there's another powerful feeling

但，身為演員，我也很幸運

that I've also been lucky to experience a lot as an actor.

能夠體驗到另一種強大的感受。

And it's funny, it's sort of the opposite feeling,

很有趣，它可以說 是種相反的感受，

because it doesn't come from getting attention.

因為它並不是來自得到關注。

It comes from paying attention.

它來自專注。

When I'm acting,

當我在演戲時，

I get so focused that I'm only paying attention to one thing.

我會非常專注到 只把注意力放在一件事上。

Like when I'm on set and we're about to shoot

比如，當我在片場， 我們準備要開拍，

and the first AD calls out "Rolling!"

第一副導演喊 「Rolling（攝影機運轉）！」

And then I hear "speed," "marker," "set,"

接著，我聽到「速度」、 「場記板」、「就緒」，

and then the director calls "Action!"

接著，導演喊「開拍！」

I've heard that sequence so many times,

我太常聽到這一連串術語，

like, it's become this Pavlovian magic spell for me.

對我來說就變成 像是魔法咒語一樣。

"Rolling," "speed," "marker," "set" and "action."

「攝影機運轉」、 「速度」、「場記板」、

「就緒」、「開拍」。

Something happens to me, I can't even help it.

我會發生一種無法控制的狀況。

My attention ...

我的注意力……

narrows.

會變狹窄。

And everything else in the world,

世界上的所有其他一切，

anything else that might be bothering me or might grab my attention,

任何可能會打擾我 或吸引我注意的東西，

it all goes away, and I'm just ... there.

全都不見了， 我就只是……在當下。

And that feeling, that is what I love,

我愛的就是那種感覺，

that, to me, is creativity.

對我來說，那就是創意。

And that's the biggest reason I'm so grateful that I get to be an actor.

那就是我很感謝我能夠 成為演員的最大理由。

So, there's these two powerful feelings.

所以，有這兩種很強大的感受。

There's getting attention and paying attention.

獲得關注，以及專注當下。

Of course, in the last decade or so,

當然，大約在前十年，

new technology has allowed more and more people

新科技技術讓更多人

to have this powerful feeling of getting attention.

嚐到獲得關注的感受。

For any kind of creative expression, not just acting.

包括任何類型的創意 表現，不只是演戲。

It could be writing or photography or drawing, music -- everything.

如寫作、攝影、 畫畫、音樂——什麼都行。

The channels of distribution have been democratized,

銷售的管道被大眾化了，

and that's a good thing.

那是好事。

But I do think there's an unintended consequence

但，我認為這發展對於 地球上任何有強烈慾望

for anybody on the planet with an urge to be creative --

想要發揮創意的人， 會造成非預期的後果——

myself included, because I'm not immune to this.

包括我自己在內也不能倖免。

I think that our creativity

我認為，我們的創意

is becoming more and more of a means to an end --

變得越來越像是達到目的的手段——

and that end is to get attention.

那目的就是獲得關注。

And so I feel compelled to speak up

所以我覺得我必須站出來說明，因為，

because in my experience,

根據我的經驗，

the more I go after that powerful feeling of paying attention,

我越是去追求專注的強大感受，

the happier I am.

我就越快樂。

But the more I go after the powerful feeling of getting attention,

但我越是去追求得到 關注的強大感受，

the unhappier I am.

我就越不快樂。

(One person claps)

（一個人的掌聲）且——謝謝。

And -- thanks.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So this is something that goes way back for me.

對我來說，這要追溯到好久以前。

I think the first time I can remember using my acting to get attention,

在我的記憶中，我第一次 靠表演得到注意力，

I was eight years old at summer camp.

是我八歲參加夏令營的時候。

And I'd been going on auditions for about a year by then,

那時我已經有一年 左右的試鏡經驗了，

and I'd been lucky to get some small parts

我很幸運，在電視節目 和廣告中演出一些小角色，

in TV shows and commercials,

and I bragged about it a lot, that summer at camp.

在夏令營時我常常吹噓這些事。

And at first, it worked.

一開始，這麼做行得通。

The other kids gave me a bunch of extra attention,

其他孩子給了我 大量的額外注意力，

because I had been on "Family Ties."

因為我演過《天才家庭》。

That's a picture of me on "Family Ties."

這是在《天才家庭》裡面的我。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Then, the tide turned --

接著，情勢轉變了—— 我想我吹噓得太過頭了。

I think I took it too far with the bragging.

And then, the other kids started to make fun of me.

接著，其他孩子開始嘲笑我。

I remember there was this one girl I had a crush on, Rocky.

我還記得有一個女孩 叫洛基，我在暗戀她。

Her name was Rachel, she went by Rocky.

她的名字是瑞秋，小名叫洛基。

And she was beautiful, and she could sing,

她很漂亮，且很會唱歌，

and I was smitten with her, and I was standing there, bragging.

我好喜歡她， 我就站在那裡，吹噓著。

And she turned to me and she called me a show-off.

她轉向我，她說我是個愛現鬼。

Which I 100 percent deserved.

我百分之百罪有應得。

But you know, it still really hurt.

但，要知道，那真的很痛。

And ever since that summer,

從那個夏天之後，

I've had a certain hesitance to seek attention for my acting.

我都會猶豫要不要靠表演 來獲得大家的注意力。

Sometimes, people would ask me,

有時，會有人問我：

"Wait a minute, if you don't like the attention,

「等等，若你不喜歡 備受關注，為何要當演員？」

then why are you an actor?"

And I'd be like,

我就會：「因為演戲不是為了這個，

"Because that's not what acting's about, man, it's about the art."

是為藝術啊。」

他們就會說：「好，好，老兄。」

And they'd be like, "OK, OK, dude."

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And then Twitter came out.

接著，推特出現了。

And I got totally hooked on it, just like everybody else,

和大家一樣，我完全迷上了它，

which made me into a complete hypocrite.

讓我完全變成了偽君子。

Because at that point,

因為，在那時，我完全 靠演戲來獲得關注。

I was absolutely using my acting to get attention.

I mean, what, did I think I was just getting all these followers

我的意思是，什麼， 我以為是因為我的精采推文，

because of my brilliant tweets?

才得到這麼多粉絲？

I actually did think that -- I was like --

我當時真的那麼想——我心想——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"They don't just like me because they saw me in 'Batman,'

「他們不只是因為我演過 《蝙蝠俠》所以喜歡我，

they like what I have to say, I've got a way with words."

他們喜歡我說的話， 我很能言善道。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And then in no time at all,

接著，沒多久，

it started having an impact on my dearly beloved creative process.

這就開始對於我心愛的 創意過程產生了影響。

It still does.

現在仍然有影響。 我試著不讓它造成影響。

I try not to let it.

But you know, I'd be sitting there, like, reading a script.

但，我就坐在那裡， 比如正在讀劇本。

And instead of thinking,

我並不是在想：

"How can I personally identify with this character?"

「我個人要如何 和這個角色產生連結？」

Or "How is the audience going to relate to this story?"

或者「觀眾要如何才能 和這個故事有所連結？」

I'm like, "What are people going to say about this movie on Twitter?"

我想的卻是：「大家在推特上 會怎麼說這部電影？」

And "What will I say back

及「我要怎麼回應 才夠好、夠犀利，

that will be good and snarky enough to get a lot of retweets,

能得到許多回推， 但又不要太嚴厲，

but not too harsh,

因為人們喜歡吐槽， 但我不想被取消追蹤？」

because people love to get offended, and I don't want to get canceled?"

我腦中盡是這些想法，

These are the thoughts that enter my mind

特別是當我本該讀劇本、 努力當一個藝術家時。

when I'm supposed to be reading a script, trying to be an artist.

And I'm not here to tell you

我來這裡並不是要告訴各位 科技是創意的敵人。

that technology is the enemy of creativity.

I don't think that.

我不這麼想。

I think tech is just a tool.

科技只是工具。

It has the potential to foster unprecedented human creativity.

它有潛力可以促進 前所未有的人類創意。

Like, I even started an online community called HITRECORD,

比如，我甚至成立了一個 線上社群叫做 HITRECORD，

where people all over the world

在那裡，來自全世界的人 能合作進行各種創意計畫，

collaborate on all kinds of creative projects,

so I don't think that social media or smartphones or any technology

所以我不認為社交媒體、手機，

或任何技術本身是有問題的。

is problematic in and of itself.

But ...

但……

if we're going to talk about the perils of creativity

如果我們要討論，當創意變成是

becoming a means to get attention,

獲得關注的手段時是多危險的事，

then we have to talk about the attention-driven business model

那麼，我們就必須要談到 現今大型社交媒體公司

採用了一些注意力導向的 商業模式，對吧？

of today's big social media companies, right?

(Applause)

（掌聲）

This will be familiar territory for some of you,

在座有些人可能很熟悉這個領域， 但，這個問題很重要：

but it's a really relevant question here:

How does a social media platform

社交媒體平台， 如 IG，要如何賺錢？

like, for example, Instagram, make money?

It's not selling a photo-sharing service --

不是銷售照片分享服務—— 那部分是免費的。

that part's free.

So what is it selling?

那它銷售的是什麼？是注意力。

It's selling attention.

It's selling the attention of its users to advertisers.

它在把使用者的注意力 銷售給廣告商。

And there's a lot of discussion right now

現在有許多討論

about how much attention we're all giving to things like Instagram,

都是在談我們大家給了 IG 這類平台多少注意力，

but my question is:

但，我的問題是：IG 怎麼能 得到這麼多注意力？

How is Instagram getting so much attention?

We get it for them.

是我們幫它取得的。

Anytime somebody posts on Instagram,

每當有人在 IG 上發表貼文，

they get a certain amount of attention from their followers,

他們就會從追隨者那邊 得到一定量的關注，

whether they have a few followers or a few million followers.

不論是只有幾個追隨者 或有幾百萬個追隨者。

And the more attention you're able to get,

而你能得到越多關注，

the more attention Instagram is able to sell.

IG 能銷售的關注就越多。

So it's in Instagram's interest

就 IG 的利益來說，

for you to get as much attention as possible.

盡可能得到你越多注意力越好。

And so it trains you to want that attention,

所以 IG 會訓練你，讓你渴望得到關注。

to crave it, to feel stressed out when you're not getting enough of it.

當你獲得的關注不夠時， 你就會覺得很有壓力。

Instagram gets its users addicted

IG 讓它的使用者上癮，

to the powerful feeling of getting attention.

對這種得到關注的強大感受上癮。

And I know we all joke, like, "Oh my God, I'm so addicted to my phone,"

我們都會這樣開玩笑：「喔，天啊， 我對我的手機上癮了。」

but this is a real addiction.

但這是一種真正的上癮。 背後有完整的科學。

There's a whole science to it.

If you're curious, I recommend the work of Jaron Lanier,

如果你想知道， 我建議看看傑倫·拉尼爾、

Tristan Harris, Nir Eyal.

特里斯坦·哈里斯、尼爾·艾歐的作品。

But here's what I can tell you.

但，我能告訴各位的是：

Being addicted to getting attention

對於「得到注意力」上癮

is just like being addicted to anything else.

和對其他事物上癮是一樣的。

It's never enough.

永遠都會嫌不夠。

You start out and you're thinking,

你開始上癮，你心想：

"If only I had 1,000 followers, that would feel amazing."

「我若能有一千個追隨者， 感覺會超棒。」

But then you're like, "Well, once I get to 10,000 followers,"

但，接著你會想：「一旦 我能得到一萬個追隨者，」

and, "Once I get to 100 --

然後「一旦我得到一百——

Once I get to a million followers, then I'll feel amazing."

一旦我有一百萬個 追隨者，感覺會超棒。」

So I have 4.2 million followers on Twitter --

我在推特上有 四千兩百萬個追隨者——

it's never made me feel amazing.

那從來沒有讓我感覺很棒。

I'm not going to tell you how many I have on Instagram,

我不打算告訴各位 我在 IG 上有多少追隨者，

because I feel genuine shame about how low the number is,

因為我真的覺得 那數字低得很可恥，

because I joined Instagram after "Batman" came out.

因為我在《蝙蝠俠》 推出後加入 IG。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I search other actors,

我搜尋了其他演員， 我發現他們的數字比我的高，

and I see that their number is higher than mine,

and it makes me feel terrible about myself.

那讓我覺得自己很糟糕。

Because the follower count

因為追隨者數目

makes everybody feel terrible about themselves.

會讓每個人覺得自己很糟糕。

That feeling of inadequacy is what drives you to post,

那種不足感，會讓你想要貼文，

so you can get more attention,

讓你得到更多關注，

and then that attention that you get is what these companies sell,

接著，你得到的關注 就成了這些公司的產品，

that's how they make their money.

它們就是這樣賺錢的。

So there is no amount of attention you can get

所以不論你得到多少關注，

where you feel like you've arrived,

你都不會覺得滿足，

and you're like, "Ah, I'm good now."

說：「啊，我現在這樣就好了。」

And of course, there are a lot of actors who are more famous than I am,

當然，有很多演員比我還出名，

have more followers than I do,

粉絲數目也比我多，

但我敢說，他們也會 告訴各位同樣的話。

but I bet you they would tell you the same thing.

If your creativity is driven by a desire to get attention,

如果你的創意是被 獲得關注的慾望所驅使，

you're never going to be creatively fulfilled.

那你永遠不會有創作的成就感。

But I do have some good news.

但，我有些好消息。

There is this other powerful feeling.

有另一種強大的感受。

Something else you can do with your attention

你可以把你的注意力 做另一種用途，

besides letting a giant tech company control it and sell it.

而不是讓大型科技公司 控制它、銷售它。

This is that feeling I was talking about,

那就是我先前談的那種感受， 我熱愛演戲的原因——

why I love acting so much --

it's being able to pay attention to just one thing.

就是把注意力放在一件事情上。

Turns out there's actually some science behind this too.

結果發現這背後 也是有科學根據的。

Psychologists and neuroscientists --

心理學家和神經科學家——

they study a phenomenon they call flow,

他們研究所謂的 「心流（flow）」，

which is this thing that happens in the human brain

它是大腦中發生的一種現象，

當你把注意力放在一件事情上，

when someone pays attention to just one thing,

like something creative,

如創作類的事情，

and manages not to get distracted by anything else.

且能做到不要被任何 其它事分心時就會發生。

And some say the more regularly you do this, the happier you'll be.

有人說，你越常這麼做， 你就會越快樂。

Now I'm not a psychologist or a neuroscientist.

我不是心理學家或神經科學家。

But I can tell you, for me, that is very true.

但我可以告訴各位， 對我來說真的就是如此。

It's not always easy, it's hard.

不見得都很容易，這很困難。

To really pay attention like this takes practice,

要像這樣真正地集中注意力 是需要練習的，

everybody does it their own way.

每個人有自己的方式。

But if there's one thing I can share

但，若要我分享幫助我專注，

that I think helps me focus and really pay attention, it's this:

幫助我真正能 集中注意力的，那就是：

I try not to see other creative people as my competitors.

我試著不要把其他創作者 視為我的競爭者。

I try to find collaborators.

我試著去找合作對象。

Like, if I'm acting in a scene,

比如，如果我在演一個橋段。

if I start seeing the other actors as my competitors, and I'm like,

如果我開始把其他演員 視為我的競爭者，心想：

"God, they're going to get more attention than I am,

「天，他們會取得 比我更多的注意力，

大家會談論他們的演出， 不是談我的」——

people are going to be talking about their performance more than mine" --

I've lost my focus.

我就失焦了。

那個橋段我大概也會演得很爛。

And I'm probably going to suck in that scene.

But when I see the other actors as collaborators,

但，若我能把其他演員 視為合作對象，

then it becomes almost easy to focus,

那麼，要專注就很容易，

because I'm just paying attention to them.

因為我只要專注在他們身上。

And I don't have to think about what I'm doing --

我不用去想我要做什麼—— 我針對他們所做的來反應，

I react to what they're doing,

他們對我所做的來反應，

they react to what I'm doing,

and we can kind of keep each other in it together.

我們就能夠一起保持 融入在這個橋段中。

But I don't want you to think it's only actors on a set

但，我不希望各位覺得 只有片場演員才能這樣子合作。

that can collaborate in this way.

I could be in whatever kind of creative situation.

在任何創作情境當中都有可能，

It could be professional, could be just for fun.

可能是專業的情境， 可能只是好玩的情境。

I could be collaborating with people I'm not even in the same room with.

我有可能和身在其他地方的人合作。

In fact, some of my favorite things I've ever made,

事實上，有些我最喜歡的成果

是和我沒有實際見過面的人合作的。

I made with people that I never physically met.

順道一提，對我來說， 這就是網路的美好之處。

And by the way,

this, to me, is the beauty of the internet.

If we could just stop competing for attention,

如果我們能夠停止爭奪注意力，

then the internet becomes a great place to find collaborators.

那麼網路就會變成 找到合作對象的好地方。

And once I'm collaborating with other people,

一旦我開始和其他人合作，

whether they're on set, or online, wherever,

不論是在片場、線上、任何地方，

that makes it so much easier for me to find that flow,

對我來說，找到那心流 變得容易許多，

because we're all just paying attention

因為我們只要集中注意力，

to the one thing that we're making together.

專注在我們共同進行的 那一件事情上就可以了。

And I fell like I'm part of something larger than myself,

我覺得我是某個比我自己 更大的大我的一部分，

and we all sort of shield each other

我們都會協助彼此

from anything else that might otherwise grab our attention,

排除其他可能會搶走 我們注意力的事物，

and we can all just be there.

我們全都能做到 人在那裡，心也在那裡。

At least that's what works for me.

至少那對我來說是有用的。

Sometimes.

有時啦，不見得總是有用。

Sometimes -- it doesn't always work.

Sometimes, I still totally get wrapped up in that addictive cycle

有時，我也會整個陷入那種 想要獲得關注的上癮循環裡。

of wanting to get attention.

I mean, like, even right now,

就連現在，

can I honestly say there's not some part of me here who's like,

我必須要誠實說， 某部分的我也在心想：

"Hey, everybody, look at me, I'm giving a TED Talk!"

「嘿，各位，看看我， 我在 TED 演講哪！」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

There is -- there's, you know, some part.

總是有某個這樣的部分。

But I can also honestly say

但我也要誠實說，

that this whole creative process of writing and giving this talk,

撰寫講稿，來這裡演說的 這整個創作過程，

it's been a huge opportunity for me to focus

對我來說是個很大的 機會，讓我能專注，

and really pay attention to something I care a lot about.

真正把注意力放在 我非常關心的事情上。

So regardless of how much attention I do or don't get as a result,

所以，不論最後我得到 或沒得到多少關注，

I'm happy I did it.

我都很高興我做了這件事。

And I'm grateful to all of you for letting me.

我也很感激各位讓我來演講。

So thank you, that's it,

謝謝，就這樣了，

you can give your attention to someone else now.

現在各位可以把 你們的注意力給別人了。

Thanks again.

再次感謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）